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Elinor Donahue

Elinor Donahue

Mary Eleanor Donahue (born April 19, 1937), credited as Elinor Donahue, is an American actress, best remembered today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt, on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best. Donahue achieved stardom for her role as the elder daughter, Betty, on the television family series Father Knows Best. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her younger brother, James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger sister, Kathy. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (1953–54). While in the first season of Father Knows Best she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Ray Bolger as a song-and-dance man. Thereafter, she was cast with James Best, Ann Doran, and J. Carrol Naish in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. Marshal. She also appeared as a new bride in the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956. She played Georgiana Balanger in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace.[5] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives. She was featured in 12 episodes of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as pharmacist Ellie Walker, even getting a mention in the opening credits. The character was intended to be a love interest for Sheriff Andy Taylor, but after one season (1960–1961), Donahue decided to ask for a release from her three-year contract.[6] In 1963, Donahue was cast in an episode of NBC's short-lived modern Western series, Redigo, with Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo; then in 1964, she appeared as Melanie in "The Secret in the Stone" in the NBC medical drama dealing with psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy. Additionally, on February 9, 1963, she played Letty May in the episode "The Burning Tree" on Have Gun Will Travel. In the 1964–65 season, Donahue costarred as Joan Randall, the daughter of Walter Burnley, played by John McGiver, on the CBS sitcom, Many Happy Returns about the complaint department of a fictitious Los Angeles department store. She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford. In 1966, she guest starred on the TV series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire."

Personal information

Birthday

1937-04-19

Birth Place

Tacoma, Washington, USA

Movies and TV shows :

poster

77 Sunset Strip

1958

6.7

TV
An Old-Fashioned Girl

An Old-Fashioned Girl

1949

0.0

Movie
And Now Tomorrow

And Now Tomorrow

1944

5.7

Movie
poster

Battle of the Network Stars

1976

7.2

TV
poster

CHiPs

1977

6.8

TV
poster

Coach

1989

6.9

TV
poster

Cold Case

2003

7.8

TV
poster

Condominium

1980

3.7

TV
Dear God

Dear God

1996

5.5

Movie
poster

Dennis the Menace

1959

6.7

TV
Dick Clark's Good Old Days

Dick Clark's Good Old Days

1977

0.0

Movie
poster

Diff'rent Strokes

1978

7.0

TV
Doctors' Private Lives

Doctors' Private Lives

1978

0.0

Movie
poster

Dr. Kildare

1961

5.4

TV
poster

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

1993

7.6

TV
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within

2001

7.8

Movie
poster

E! True Hollywood Story

1996

8.0

TV
poster

Eek! The Cat

1992

6.8

TV
poster

Ellen

1994

6.4

TV
poster

Father Knows Best

1954

6.6

TV
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas

Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas

1977

7.3

Movie
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

1991

5.3

Movie
poster

Friends

1994

8.4

TV
poster

General Electric Theater

1953

6.0

TV
poster

Get a Life

1990

7.3

TV
Gidget Gets Married

Gidget Gets Married

1972

5.6

Movie
Girls Town

Girls Town

1959

3.6

Movie
Girls' Town

Girls' Town

1942

0.0

Movie
Going Berserk

Going Berserk

1983

5.1

Movie
poster

Happy Days

1974

7.7

TV
poster

Have Gun, Will Travel

1957

7.4

TV
Her First Romance

Her First Romance

1951

2.0

Movie
poster

Herman's Head

1991

6.6

TV
High School U.S.A.

High School U.S.A.

1983

5.6

Movie
Honeymoon Lodge

Honeymoon Lodge

1943

0.0

Movie
poster

Hotel

1982

6.8

TV
Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life

1959

7.4

Movie
In Name Only

In Name Only

1969

0.0

Movie
Just an Overnight Guest

Just an Overnight Guest

1983

0.0

Movie
poster

Letter to Loretta

1953

6.2

TV
Love Is Better Than Ever

Love Is Better Than Ever

1952

6.1

Movie
poster

Many Happy Returns

1964

5.0

TV
Mister Big

Mister Big

1943

2.2

Movie
poster

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

1969

9.0

TV
Mulligan's Stew

Mulligan's Stew

1977

0.0

Movie
poster

Mulligan's Stew

1977

7.0

TV
poster

Murder, She Wrote

1984

7.5

TV
My Blue Heaven

My Blue Heaven

1950

7.0

Movie
No Earthly Reason

No Earthly Reason

1984

0.0

Movie
poster

Occasional Wife

1966

7.5

TV
poster

One Day at a Time

1975

6.7

TV
poster

Police Story

1973

7.1

TV
Police Story: No Margin for Error

Police Story: No Margin for Error

1978

0.0

Movie
poster

Police Woman

1974

6.2

TV
Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman

1990

7.5

Movie
poster

Redigo

1963

5.0

TV
poster

S.W.A.T.

1975

7.0

TV
poster

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

1951

7.0

TV
Singing Guns

Singing Guns

1950

5.8

Movie
poster

Star Trek

1966

8.0

TV
Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

2016

5.7

Movie
Tea for Two

Tea for Two

1950

6.0

Movie
Tenth Avenue Angel

Tenth Avenue Angel

1948

6.1

Movie
poster

The Andy Griffith Show

1960

7.6

TV
poster

The Brothers Brannagan

1960

0.0

TV
poster

The Eleventh Hour

1962

6.0

TV
The Father Knows Best Reunion

The Father Knows Best Reunion

1977

5.5

Movie
poster

The Flying Nun

1967

6.5

TV
poster

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

1950

6.8

TV
poster

The Golden Girls

1985

7.5

TV
The Happy Years

The Happy Years

1950

7.7

Movie
poster

The Love Boat

1977

6.3

TV
poster

The New Adventures of Beans Baxter

1987

5.0

TV
poster

The Odd Couple

1970

7.8

TV
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

2004

6.7

Movie
poster

The Rookies

1972

6.9

TV
The Unfinished Dance

The Unfinished Dance

1947

6.0

Movie
poster

The Virginian

1962

6.4

TV
Three Daring Daughters

Three Daring Daughters

1948

5.7

Movie
Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland

1946

4.3

Movie